Homogeneous Catalysis of Hydrogen Isotope Exchange Between D2 and Ethanol by Chlorotris(triphenyIphosphine)rhodium(I). II. In Chloroform-Ethanol
The kinetics and mechanism of D2 exchange catalyzed by RhCl(PPh3)3 have been studied in chloroform–ethanol solutions. Interpretation of the results was complicated by a side reaction of the solvent to yield HCl, RhHCl2(PPh3)2, C2H5Cl, CH2Cl2, Ph3PO, and other phosphorus(V) species. Computer simulation of the exchange reaction was used to show that the observed inverse isotope effect [Formula: see text] could arise only if the rate determining step was the activation of D2, HD, and H2 by RhCl(PPh3)3.The D2 exchange reaction rate was extremely dependent on solvent composition and decreased 30 times between 6 and 96 mol% C2H5OH. The activation energy for D2 exchange was 101 ± 9 kJ mol−1 at 58 mol% C2H5OH, and 86 ± 8 kJ mol−1 at 6 mol% C2H5OH. These data suggested that solvent–catalyst bonding interactions were important.